Utah Genealogical Association

SLIG Series--Advanced Research Tools: Land Records

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Pam Sayre for her great guest blog post!

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I gave my husband Rick a newiMac for his birthday recently. As a Mac convert, I cannot stop proselytizingabout Apple products and their ease of use. Still, there was a learning curvefor me, and Rick is now experiencing a totally different way of doing things.So we did what new and experienced genealogists alike should do—we took a class.We went into a very busy Apple store staffed by enthusiastic knowledgeable people.With equipment and questions in hand, we grilled them for the entire scheduled hourand a half. Rick learned his way around the new interface and how to accesssome fairly complicated tools that lie buried. I learned easier ways to do thingsI had been doing the hard way.

Genealogy is a lot like this. Westruggle along on our own and spend inordinate amounts of time gatheringmaterials. We measure our experience in years, not in what we actually know. Ionce heard someone say she had been doing genealogy for twenty years, and inthe next sentence she marveled at learning that she didn’t have to search everysingle deed in a book—if she used the index instead.

SLIG is to genealogists what theApple Store is to Mac users: a place to come and sit down and feel comfortablewatching the experts and geniuses show you how easy something is, or how a difficultproblem might be resolved. It’s a friendly place whereyou’ll talk to the person next to you and commiserate over brick walls. It’s ahappy place where you’ll make new friends and quickly find someone to sharelunch or dinner with and maybe even a hotel room at next year’s institute.Every single course at SLIG will teach you something you didn’t even know youneeded, and you’ll go home each night with your head full of new knowledge andpossibilities for how you can rethink your research projects.

Who among us couldn’t benefit bylearning some intermediate skills from a master like Paula Warren and herextraordinary instructors? And who could resist the wit and wisdom of JohnColletta, a joyful collaboration of a course where students will learn to workwith original records beyond those found in a library. There are still a fewopenings in the above courses and Kory Meyerink’s Midwestern United Statescourse or Welsh Research with Darris Williams or Swedish Research with GeoffreyMorris. Come snow or shine, we’ll be absorbing knowledge all day from top-notchinstructors. Toward the end of the day, just as we are beginning to tire, we’llbe freed from class to dash right over to the Family History Library. No matterhow tired a genealogist is, when given the opportunity to go on a treasure huntin the records the exhaustion evaporates and he somehow finds the endurance toclose down the library.

Like that Apple store, there’san excitement and a sense of urgency and just plain fun at Salt Lake Instituteof Genealogy. The youthful demographic is represented ably by Josh Taylor,coordinator of the New England course. Apple’s Genius Bar concept is present atSLIG, too, in Judith Hansen’s Problem Solving course where students work ontheir own research issues. For those with more experience who are ready toreally dig in, advanced courses such as Tom Jones’s Advanced GenealogicalMethods, Angela McGhie’s Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum, and Rick and PamSayre’s Land Records offer in-depth knowledge.

You’ll learn a lot at SLIG, andyou’ll leave with a happy satisfaction and excitement at the prospect of usingyour new tools. And if you missed the course you wanted this year because itsold out early, get ready to register for the 2013 institute as soon asregistration opens. See you at SLIG!

SLIG: A Unique and Rewarding Experience (Josh Taylor)

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

This time around we have a great blog post from D. Joshua Taylor on why he enjoys teaching at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

Thanks, Josh!

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With the multitude of educational opportunities availablefor genealogists it can be difficult to choose which to attend. While webinars,conferences, and seminars each provide essential elements to your genealogicaleducation, an institute, such as the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)offers a rich and unique experience for every genealogist.

First, the ability to spend an entire week immersed in a particular subject provides untoldbenefits, as it enables us to focus on our research as we learn techniques andskills from some of the world's leading instructors. Like a college"short-course" week, SLIG provides an in-depth look a variety ofsubjects, from Technology to Advanced Methodology. In addition, SLIG offersevening courses in case you wanted to explore a topic not covered in yourchosen course. With courses for genealogists of all levels, SLIG can be a solidfoundation for beginning genealogists or an added skillset for advancedresearchers.

Second, the consistency of highly-skilled instructors inyour throughout the week. Not only do you truly get to know your course coordinator,most courses include a set number of instructors that will be with youthroughout the week. This provides an opportunity to develop deeper questions,and in some cases can literally tailor the course to your own research needs. Instructorswill provide their own personal knowledge to the course, enriching yourexperience. Hearing one or two approaches to the same topic can provide youwith a deeper level of understanding and more ideas. SLIG is truly a place tolearn and expand your genealogical knowledge.

Third, the small course sizes (usually around 30) providean incredible opportunity to network with your fellow classmates. Take time tolearn about their research and experience, as they might even have some advicefor you, or you for them. SLIG certainly offers the ability to collaborate andlearn from another other, a unique offering in genealogical education. Mostmeals are unscheduled, offering the chance to spend a few moments alone or joinsome of your classmates for a quick bite. Ensure you make the most of thisnetworking opportunity; you might meet a few cousins as well as some lifelongfriends.

Fourth, an added benefit of SLIG is its location - only afew blocks from the Family History Library. This means you have an immediateopportunity to practice what you have been learning in the classroom. Theability for this "hands-on" element of your week in Salt Lake Cityoften helps in retaining the information you are learning each day. Within afew moments after each day ends you can easily find yourself wrapped up in thesources and methods you discovered only moments ago in class.

Finally, SLIG can often solidify your research goals forthe New Year. After spending a week engrossed in family history it is difficultto loose the momentum when you return home. SLIG provides the perfect settingto create your genealogical goals for the year. Many participants leave SLIGwith their "to-do" lists ready and can quickly jump into theirresearch when they return home.

While it might seem a bit overwhelming, SLIG is a week notto be missed for any genealogist. With constant learning and innovative newresearch ideas, opportunities to network with others, and hands-on research inthe Family History Library, SLIG might well be considered heaven forgenealogists!

~ D. Joshua Taylor

Beyond the Library: Research in Original Source Repositories

2011-10-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today's blog post in our SLIG 2012 series will focus on "Beyond the Library: Research in Original Source Repositories" with John Philip Colletta, Ph.D. John is a long-time SLIG coordinator and a fantastic instructor. Students of his are in for a real treat as they explore the many resources available in original source repositories.

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The materials in the Family History Library are so colossal and far-ranging that genealogists sometimes neglect to venture into the wider world of resources not available on microfilm. In fact, only a small portion of all historical records has been microfilmed, digitized or published in print. Most sources of value to genealogists exist only as a unique original lying in a public or private archives, county courthouse or manuscript collection. This course is designed to take the mystery and trepidation out of using these repositories of original historical sources. Classes describe what these repositories are and how they differ from one another; how to access the treasures in them that pertain to your ancestors; and how to use those materials to reconstruct your ancestors’ lives. The instructors are all professionals of honed expertise: John Philip Colletta, Ph.D. (10 classes), Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL (4 classes), Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL (2 classes), and Paula Stuart Warren, CG (2 classes). They demonstrate their lessons vividly using numerous examples and case studies; they share a variety of practical hints and helps gleaned during many years of practical experience; and they convey to course participants the thrill and satisfaction of handling and deciphering original antique documents. Course participants will attend an orientation session at the Utah State Archives Research Center conducted by the State Archivist of Utah, Patricia Smith-Mansfield. That will be followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the state-of-the-art records repository adjacent to the Center. By the end of the course, participants will be better skilled at finding, understanding, and using historical sources pertaining to their ancestors.

SLIG Contest Winner--Annaleise Taylor Dearinger

2011-10-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Thank you for your great support of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy blogging contest. Our lucky winner, chosen at random, is Annaleise Taylor Dearinger of the Legacy of Faith blog.

We had many great entries including:

Peggy Clemens Lauritzen of Always Anxiously Engaged
Kathryn Lake Hogan of Looking 4 Ancestors
Sheri Beffort Fenley of The Educated Genealogist
Cinamon Collins of (Mis)Adventures of a Genealogist
Lisa Talbott Lisson of Are You My Cousin?
Sue Adams of Family Folklore (winner of Michael Hait's best blog award)
Susan LeBlanc of Gopher Genealogy

Thanks all, and can't wait to see you in January!

SLIG Blogging Contest!!

2011-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy is excited to announce our first ever blogging contest. We believe that SLIG is one of the best educational opportunities available for genealogists—and we want to hear why you think so to. For the next week we would like to encourage all the fantastic bloggers in the genealogy community to let us know why you would like to attend SLIG. The contest will run through Saturday, October 15, 2011 at midnight (Mountain Time). The prize will be a tuition waver to SLIG 2012 (note that only those classes which haven’t filled are eligible).

How do I enter?

Step 1: Write 500 words or more on the topic of why you want to attend SLIG. Include which course you would like to take, and whether you have attended before. Please include the link www.slig.ugagenealogy.org when referring to SLIG’s website.

Step 2: Post a link to your blog post on the UGA/SLIG Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/ugagenealogy) before midnight (Mountain Time) on Saturday, October 15, 2011. If you are not on Facebook please send an email to susanbankhead@msn.com and we will post the link on Facebook for you.

Step 3: The winner will be randomly chosen using www.randomizer.org, and announced via our Facebook page on Sunday, October 16, 2011.

What do I win?

The winning blogger will be awarded a tuition waiver for SLIG 2012. The waiver is only valid for SLIG 2012 (January 23-27, 2012). The waiver may be applied to registration for any SLIG track for 2012 which has not already filled. The waiver is for tuition only and does not include travel costs, hotel stay, or meals.

What if I’m already registered for SLIG?

If the winner is already registered for SLIG they will be refunded the amount already paid in tuition (note that this does not include any night classes or meals which may have been purchased).

What if I don’t have a blog?

Now is a great time to start one! You could write as a guest blogger on a friend’s blog.

Problem Solving track at SLIG offers a unique student experience

2011-10-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Problem Solving course at SLIG is a directed practicum: the student, with the assistance of interested consultants and peers (fellow students in the group) enhances and applies specific methodology, analysis, and evaluation skills to the student's personal research.

The format of the problem solving course is designed so each student receives specific help on his/her own project, learns from studying the submissions of the other students. and from discussing research and methodology with the other students and professionals.

Each problem solving student chooses his own curriculum--focused on one ancestor, ancestral couple, or particular genealogical question. Choose a problem that is of personal interest and is not under constraints imposed by others. Research being done for hire or for possible submission to BCG or ICAPGen should not be used.

The Problem Solving course takes place in 3 parts.

After registering and before Oct 30, each student submits a Problem Solving Project, with the following elements: a short 1 page summary of the Problem, pertinent research logs, family groups, pedigree, maps, time line, and five page report about the research problem being submitted.
During SLIG daily meetings are held with the assigned group to discuss the problem, offer suggestions, and debrief on the previous day's research activities.
After SLIG each student completes a new written summary of their research project, discussing sources used, new findings or lack of findings, conclusions and what to consider next in future research. IF at the end of SLIG week, the group consensus is that research possibilities have been exhausted for the problem, leaving no further avenues to pursue, the student is encouraged to put the project on the shelf--writing a final evaluation report which states final conclusions with supporting evidence, and details research steps, sources and analysis. The summary should be shared with those interested, including fellow PS Group members and consultants.

As a Problem Solving student one is 1) a researcher, evaluator and reporter for their own research, 2) a peer within the group, providing encouragement and suggestions, 3) a student of the comments of consultants and peers, 4) a teacher sharing their own expertise with others when needed, and above all 5) a genealogy friend.

Often the encouragement a genealogist needs is validation: someone else to look at their research, evaluation, and analysis – am I on the right track? Do conclusions make sense? What data or pertinent records are missing? What are the flaws or misconceptions in evaluating data and sources? What is needed to resolve conflicts or discrepancies? For some it may be “a safe place” where others will listen to their genealogy stories and concerns.

~Judith Hansen, MLS, AG

Genealogy Software and Research Tools

2011-09-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

Our SLIG guest blogger this week is George Morgan, coordinator for course 6: Genealogy Software and Research Tools.

Technology tools, software, andsocial media have become essential to success in modern genealogical research.You can accelerate your investigations and expand your research reach today asnever before.

The 2012 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogycurriculum includes the “Genealogy Software and Research Tools” course, taughtby George G. Morgan, Drew Smith, and Laura Prescott, leaders in the genealogytechnology arena. The course includes 20 hours of in-depth classes in themodern software and online research tools. These include: the major genealogydatabase programs and utilities for both the PC and Mac; Windows emulationprograms for the Mac that allow you to run every PC-based genealogy program;creating and using blogs; working with wikis; capturing and sharing images; andtaking advantage of podcasts, videocasts, webinars, and Internet radio. Onlineresearch tools including Evernote and Dropbox and many available mobile apps willbe explained and demonstrated. Social media of all sorts will be discussed anddemonstrated in extensive detail.

This course differs fromattending RootsTech the following week in that it provides an immersion in learningabout the software and research tools that can help supercharge your research. Ifyou extend your stay to attend RootsTech, you can further expand yourtechnological knowledge by taking to vendors and in seeing demonstrations of the latest hardware.

George G. Morgan is president of Aha!Seminars, Inc.and the author of the first and second editions, and the new third edition of How to Do Everything: Genealogy forMcGraw-Hill, and the first and second editions of The Official Guide to Ancestry.com.

Drew Smith is the author of thelandmark book, Social Media forGenealogists, and a reference librarian for the University of South FloridaLibrary in Tampa Florida. He and George are co-hosts of TheGenealogy Guys^SM Podcastand help host the My Society radio program produced each weekby the Federationof Genealogical Societies.

Laura Prescott isa professional researcher, writer, and speaker. She is the outgoing presidentof the Association ofProfessional Genealogists, genealogy project manager for the Nickerson FamilyAssociation, and a consultant for Fold3.com. She lectures and writes for national audienceson a variety of genealogical topics. Her specialties include the use of manuscriptsin genealogical research, genealogy on the Internet, genealogy for Mac users,and merging history with genealogy.

Visit our website for more information about how to register for Course 6 (or any of our other offerings at the 2012 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy).

If you enjoyed this article we invite you to share it via your favorite social networking media using the appropriate icon below. You may also reprint this article in any email or print newsletters you wish to distribute provided you include the date of original publication and the following text:

This article reprinted with permission of the Utah Genealogical Association. To learn more about the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA) or the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), please visit their website at: ugagenealogy.org.

Upcoming: UGA Family History Fair

2011-09-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

UGA will host the UGA Family History Fair (formerly South Davis Fair). It will be held at Bountiful High School on March 3, 2012 from 8:00 - 5:00 pm. This fair is now under the auspicious of the Utah Genealogical Association. The fair will be a spectacular event! Don't miss it. More details will be forthcoming on the UGA Events page.

Keep coming back to the website, Additional information for this events will be available as it gets closer.

Virtual Chapter Tonight-Mobile Apps for Genealogy

2011-09-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Utah Genealogical Association Presents:

A.C. Ivory

Speaking On

Mobile Apps for Genealogy

There are many genealogy apps made for mobile devices these days that can help you organize, share and learn more about your ancestors. Whether it is an extension of your database software or it connects to an online database, mobile apps can now help you do genealogy research just about anywhere.

A.C. Ivory specializes in using Mac computers and mobile devices along with learning new technology and techniques to help further genealogical research and strives to help others learn how to use technology in their own family history. He has previously worked for Ancestry.com in the Document Preservation Services department and now currently works as a professional genealogist at Ancestry.com's official research firm, ProGenealogists. His research specialties include Southern States and New England.

September 15, 2011, 7:00 pm MDT @

virtual.ugagenealogy.org

The UGA Virtual Chapter meets online on the third Thursday of the month. These meetings are free to members of UGA. To join UGA visit our website at ugagenealogy.org. Membership is just $35.00 per year. Members can join the meeting by going to http://virtual.ugagenealogy.org, logging in using their username and password, and then proceeding directly to the "Member's Virtual Chapter Page." Click on the Virtual Chapter icon. When invited to join the meeting, sign in as a "guest."

Midwest U.S. Research with Kory Meyerink

2011-09-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our SLIG guest blogger this week is Kory Meyerink, coordinator for Course 5: Research in the Midwestern United States.

Researching in the Midwest statesis one of the most important areas to learn about when doing U.S. genealogy forseveral reasons. That’s why the Midwest course has been one of the most popularcourses in the history of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. In fact,Midwest research is important even if you don’t have research in the eightstates included in this course!

That’s a strong statement; can Iback it up? Certainly. But first, let’s identify the eight states covered inthe 2012 Institute course: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin,Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Well, what’s so special about those states? Thatlist includes two of the most populous states in the nation (Ohio and Illinois)as well as an ethnic diversity that can’t be found elsewhere in America. Moreimmigrants settled in the Midwest than any other region in the country and,since all Americans are descended from immigrants, the discussion ofimmigration sources and strategies will pertain to all American research.

In addition the Midwest(especially Ohio and Missouri) is the gateway to the west. The vast majority offamilies who settled west of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers came throughthe Midwest and often lived there for several years. But, beyond that, therecord collections and research strategies for Midwestern research pertain toalmost all of the “western” states. Consider the following: Land records in theMidwest are all public domain lands, just as they are in the western states.Vital records in the Midwest set a pattern followed by most of the westernstates. The same is true of newspapers and other published records, includinglocal histories and biographical sources. Their commercial success in theMidwest encouraged their development in the west, and even in the southern andeastern states.

But, it’s not just about the west.Many of our ancestors lived in large cities all over the country, but the Midwesthas the most. Once you’ve learned about research in Chicago, Detroit, St.Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, etc., then you’ll be prepared for any other city,from New York to Atlanta to New Orleans. You see, it’s not about specificlocalities, but rather research principles that pertain to the Midwest thatapply elsewhere. Ports of arrival may not be in the Midwest, but we certainlywill be discussing passenger lists because of the flood of immigrants to theMidwest. The same principles for research ethnic and religious records in theMidwest pertain to other U.S. research areas.

Paula Warren’s discussions ofresearch repositories and manuscript collections will open everyone’s eyes andmake you think about similar collections elsewhere in America. Yes, it’s true.Midwestern research is a foundation for your successful research in the rest ofthe U.S. and even elsewhere (consider Canada, Ireland, Germany, England, etc.).It’s also a favorite area for people taking the Accredited Genealogist exams,because so many potential clients have Midwest ancestry.

So, review the course listing forthe Midwest course and sign up. We’ll see you in January!

Visit our website for more information about how to register for Course 5 (or any of our other offerings at the 2012 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy).

Welsh Research at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

2011-08-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

This week we welcome Darris Williams, AG, Welsh researcher extraordinaire. The Welsh research track is a rare opportunity for in-depth education in a highly specialized area. This course may not be offered again for several years and is a huge opportunity for those with Welsh research to break down their brick walls.

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I’ve been digging into my Welsh roots for twenty-eight years. In that time I’ve had two unique opportunities to learn from pioneers in the field. The Welsh Research track of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2012 provides a similar opportunity for today’s Welsh family historian. You will learn about the best records and strategies to get the most from your research efforts. After each day of training you will be able to walk a short distance to the greatest centralized collection of Welsh family history records in the world. Three reasons not to miss next year:

1. The classes. Common topics such as census, church, civil registration and probate records will be covered as you should expect. Additional, more advanced, topics like migration, surnames (there are only a few so that should be easy, right!), the poor, land records, and records from the court of Great Sessions will provide additional leads for resolving many of the brick walls in your Welsh research. The case study at the end of the week will show how various records and research strategies enable a more complete view of the life of your Welsh ancestors.

2. The instructors. Six instructors will provide more than twenty hours of insight for better research success. Half of the instructors live in Wales and the other half are based in Salt Lake City. Their combined expertise will open doors on both sides of the pond for breaking down the brick walls in your Welsh family history.

3. The experience. The Salt Lake Institute is not the start of your journey into Welsh family history and it will not be the end. The people you meet and the time spent learning together will be the beginning of a new phase in your research. You will obtain information, contacts and resources that will help you move forward in new and exciting ways.

~See you in January!

Darris

Virtual Chapter Presentation--The Vision of Indexing: A Revolution in the Research Mode

2011-08-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

The UGA Virtual Chapter presents:
Randy Bryson
speaking on
The Vision of Indexing: A Revolution in the Research Mode
August 18, 2011, 7:00 pm MDT @
virtual.ugagenealogy.org

The FamilySearch Indexing effort is unparalleled in its success and scope, but what is the real vision behind this wonderful activity? Come learn how this simple but massive effort will change how genealogical research can be done from what we have done in the past.

Randy Bryson is an Area Family History Advisor in the Utah South Area and is a past Family History Center Director. Working for the Family History Department, he has had experience in the development and use of Personal Ancestral File, Scanning, Indexing, newFamilySearch and others systems. He now works to scale the LDS Church’s technology to provide new FamilySearch to the homes of members and nonmembers alike.

Starting this month, you will need to be a member of UGA to access the virtual chapter meetings. Address to access the chapter meeting: Log in to the website at ugagenealogy.org with your username (the first 4 letters of your first name and the first 4 letters of your last name) and your password (the first letter of your first name, your zip code, and the first letter of your last name). Click on Virtual Chapter and go to our virtual meeting system. Log in there with your full name or "guest"

The UGA Virtual Chapter meets online on the third Thursday of the month. These meetings are free to members of UGA. To join UGA visit our website at ugagenealogy.org. Membership is just $35.00 per year. Members will also have access to all archived virtual chapter meeting presentations, discounts for registration to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, a free subscription to our quarterly journal Crossroads, and more.

Swedish Research

2011-08-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

If you've been following our series of blog posts about the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), you know that every other week we are featuring our course coodinators as guest bloggers. This week we are headed to Sweden with Course 4 Coordinator, Geoffrey Morris.

First, may I congratulate any reader who has Swedish ancestry! Your research activities to discover your Swedish family can be a rich and fulfilling journey. The biggest factor in accomplishing this is your determination to overcome research barriers. There is no lack of records. Unlike many other countries where good thorough records were not kept, or preserved, the Swedish records are some of the most thorough and complete in the world. This is due to a number of factors such as:

a reasonably small population compared to many countries
an incredible amount of records kept by religious and civil authorities
national stability
a huge amount of records that have survived the hazards of time

So what are the major barriers? As I have been helping people at the Nordic Reference Counter at the Family History Library, I have noticed that the biggest barriers seem to be:

Figuring out what record to go to next
To read and understand text

The Swedish Research Course will begin by focusing on reading and understanding Swedish text (especially for records before about 1820.) We will focus on learning handwriting styles, correctly identifying letters, combining letters into words, putting words into sentences and getting the actual meaning.

The remainder of the course will be focused on exploring records and research strategies. Speaking of records, did you know there are roughly 3,000 parishes in Sweden? Each parish has a collection of records that were created for a variety of reasons (including many record types that were never microfilmed.) Now if you gathered all the parish records from every parish in Sweden and made an enormous pile of books, the pile would only represent about six percent of the all records in the national and regional archives. As the digitization of records continues to progress, a much wider variety of records are becoming available than ever before. All of the class topics in the Swedish track will have a record and strategy focus that is not limited to the FamilySearch collection.

Finally, we will offer consultation activities at the Family History Library where your instructors will schedule a time to assist with research guidance.

In summary, our hope is to offer a Swedish Research course that will discuss topics that are rarely (if ever) offered at any other genealogical conference outside of Sweden. All of your instructors are fluent in Swedish and will be using Swedish sources to build their class material. Although this is a great opportunity for intermediate to advanced researchers to improve their Swedish research skills, beginners are very welcome.

Thanks, Geoff! If you have Swedish ancestry you can register for the Swedish Research course or learn more about it at the UGA website. If you have any questions about this course, please comment on this post. Will we see you in January?

If you enjoyed this article we invite you to share it via your favorite social networking media using the appropriate icon below. You may also reprint this article in any email or print newsletters you wish to distribute provided you include the date of original publication and the following text:

Principles of Effective Genealogy Librarianship

2011-07-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's time for another installment in our series of blog posts about the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Today's guest blogger is Course 7 Coordinator, Drew Smith.

One of the biggest difficulties in being a genealogy librarian is that relevant education is hard to come by. Very few library schools offer a course in genealogical librarianship, and continuing education for genealogy librarians usually consists of a single hour or at best a one-day series of workshops covering a very limited number of topics. But what if you could experience a full five days of classes designed to carry you through the entire spectrum of issues faced by genealogy librarians? Now you can have that opportunity.

You already know the basics of librarianship, and you likely have a grounding in the basics of genealogical research. This course will take you further by addressing twenty different skills and knowledge bases that any modern genealogy librarian will need to develop as part of their profession. While many librarians engage in reference interviews, collection development, library instruction for their patrons, and professional development for themselves, this course will take each of those topics and look at them from the special viewpoint of a genealogy librarian.

We’ll cover in detail the kinds of resources most used by genealogists in the typical library, such as newspapers, published materials, and manuscripts, but we’ll also bring to light the other useful resources found in a typical library but not usually thought of as a part of the genealogy collection. We’ll discuss the new online tools that have become critical only in the 21st century, such as Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest Online, Footnote.com, and social networking services. And we’ll address the importance of the genealogy library in leading the way in digitization projects for local materials.

Genealogy librarians, perhaps more than any other kind of librarian, need to understand how to work with volunteers and local societies, and we’ll learn about the best practices in these areas. What happens when patrons want to donate their own materials? How do you market your library’s genealogy resources and services so that they are used to the fullest? What kinds of ethical and legal issues are you likely to encounter as a genealogy librarian? We’ll address those questions, too. Finally, we’ll explore as a group the hot-topic issues of genealogical librarianship, drawing upon the interests and experiences of the students.

This course will also provide you with the unique opportunity to network with your fellow students, each of whom is very likely to bring to the course a wealth of knowledge and experience that they can share with us all. Of course, there will also be plenty of time during the week to enjoy the resources of the Family History Library. As a genealogy librarian, what more could you ask for?

Thanks, Drew! If you are a genealogy librarian register for the course or check out more details here. If you have any questions about this course, please comment on this post. Are you going to join us in January?

If you enjoyed this article we invite you to share it via your favorite social networking media using the appropriate icon below. You may also reprint this article in any email or print newsletters you wish to distribute provided you include the date of original publication and the following text:

Thanks to the Mormon Trails Chapter for the fantastic tour

2011-07-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

On June 18th, members of the Utah Genealogical Association were treated to a wonderful tour of the historic sites along the pioneer trail in and around Echo Canyon, Utah.

We were greeted in Henefer by Kris Whittaker and her team who organized the trip. They did a wonderful job and the whole tour went off without a hitch. Each family group was given a manila folder with all sorts of information about the history of the area—a great collection of info in handouts and various brochures that was enlightening in and of itself. But then as the tour commenced we were treated to John Eldredge’s comprehensive knowledge about the area. Eldredge’s books, The Utah War: a guide to the historic sites South Pass to Camp Floyd, and Illustrated Emigrants’ Guide to the Historic Sites Along the Hastings/Mormon Trail are great resources on the area.

The highlight of the trip was being able to see Cache Cave. Located on privately held land, the cave is only open to the public on the third Saturday of June every year. The cave earned its name by being a place where goods were cached for future travelers. Many pioneers carved their names in the sandstone, and while most have eroded away, many were still visible. Two of the people in our modern expedition were surprised to find ancestors who had carved their names in the rock. Kathy Palmer and Vicky Hayes were able to locate their ancestors and were moved to see a piece of their family history there in stone. To touch the same rock, and be in the same cave that a progenitor passed through brings an amazing reality to your history.

The tour ended at Johns Park in Henefer where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, rolls, cold slaw and peach cobbler alamode. Our lunch program began with the Major of Henefer telling stories of the early settlers and the history of the town. Ari Hunsaker of barbershop quartet background played his guitar and sang ‘Riders in the Sky’, ‘Come, Come Ye Saints and ‘If I Could Hie to Kolob’. We all then joined him in singing pioneer songs including ‘Little Pioneer Children’ and ‘The Ox Cart’. The program ended with John Eldredge telling about the history of the area.

Every day on interstate 80, cars, semi-trucks and trailers zoom past the beautiful rock formations of The Great Eastern, Hanging Rock, Winged Rock and Castle on the Mountain, rushing on to their appointments in the east. Few people realize the history of the area and the interesting events that happened there. On June 18th, a group of people with the Utah Genealogical Association got to slow down, take in the scenery and learn about the historical sites along the way. Now, thanks to John Eldredge, we also see in our mind’s eye, the camps of Johnston’s army covering those fields, and the wonder of our ancestors at these incredible surroundings. Thank you to the Mormon Trails chapter leadership for all of their hard work in organizing this great tour. Everyone enjoyed the day immensely. We hope to join the UGA Summit County Chapter for this tour again next year.

Bountiful Cemetery Walking Tour

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for something meaningful to do on July 24th?

Join the South Davis UGA chapter for their
Bountiful Cemetery Walking Tour.

Visit with some of Bountiful's first pioneers.
Ashby Family, Simmons Family, Duncan Family, Hatch Family, Perkins Family, Hogans Family, Kippens Family, Buys Family, Marshalls Family, Muir Famly, Moss Family and others.

Sunday Evening July 24th between 6 and 8 pm.
2224 South 200 West, Bountiful

No charge for the tour. Booklets with all the pioneers' stories will be available for $5 purchase if desired.

July Virtual Chapter Meeting--Descendancy Research: Finding the Past in the Present

2011-07-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Utah Genealogical Association
VIRTUAL CHAPTER
presents
Descendancy Research: Finding the Past in the Present

This presentation, using a case study, will discuss how to do descendancy research. By finding descendants of a common ancestor you may be able to find documents, artifacts and additional family information that may enhance your family story.

Tim Bingaman, AG, was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Tim has lived in Utah since 1980. He began to research his family lines in 1982 and has never stopped. After a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, he attended Harrisburg Area Community College and received his B.A. in history from Brigham Young University. Tim taught high school in St. Johns, Arizona from 1984-1989 teaching U.S. and World History, Geography, Economics and Health. He has been an accredited genealogist since 1991 in Mid-Atlantic States research. Currently, he is a reference consultant at the Family History Library.

July 21, 2011, 7:00 pm Mountain Time

http://ugagenealogy.na5.acrobat.com/vc_july_2011

The UGA Virtual Chapter meets online on the third Thursday of the month. These meetings are free to members of UGA, and free to non-members for a limited time. To join UGA visit our website at ugagenealogy.org. Membership is just $35.00 per year. Members will also have access to all archived virtual chapter meeting presentations, discounts for registration to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, a free subscription to our quarterly journal Crossroads, and more.

American Records & Research: Focusing on Families

2011-07-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

Starting off our new series of blog posts about the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), today's guest blogger is Course I coordinator, Paula Stuart-Warren.

Are you at a point in your research where you need some in-depth education about evaluating records, research, and U.S. resources in the 19th -21st centuries? Would you like five days of learning from some of the top experts in the field of family history? How about one-on-one consultation time to work on your own family history with some of these experts? What about working on a project in small groups that provides insight into the research process?

Then this is the course for you. Maybe you have already done basic searches online or in a library, but know there are more records to check and more to learn about those records that are online. This intermediate level course provides all that and more for strategies that take you beyond basic research tools both online and off. On-site consultations at the Family History Library from course instructors on three afternoons provide one-on-one assistance and guidance with your own research. The instructors don’t just lecture, they interact with you. This is the perfect course to take before you venture into other SLIG courses.

We’ll delve deeper into probate, vital records, guardianships, manuscripts, passports, lesser used federal records, school related records and church records. The records of births, deaths, and marriage will be scrutinized more closely along with substitutes for them. Civil war related records (other than pensions) will be discussed. All of these are goldmines for family details.

This course helps you extend your research skills with light, optional homework assignments to immediately apply the classroom information to research on your own families. There is ample time for open research in the afternoon and evening. The 2011 the Intermediate Course focused on localities. In 2012 this course focuses on individuals and families.

Click here to see the 2012 Course I lineup of excellent classes and "top-flight" instructors. See you next January!

Thanks, Paula! And, for those of you still debating about coming to Salt Lake in January for Course I, decide quickly. As of this evening there are only 17 seats remaining in this course.

If you enjoyed this article we invite you to share it via your favorite social networking media using the appropriate icon below. You may also reprint this article in any email or print newsletters you wish to distribute provided you include the date of original publication and the following text:

New SLIG Series

2011-07-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce a new blog series. For the next few months we will be featuring a different Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy course and course coordinator on our blog. Please feel free to comment if you have previously taken the course or if you have questions.

We will be alternating these with posts from past attendees on what gained from attending. If you would like to contribute please comment and we'll get in touch with you.

We're looking forward to our best Institute ever!

~Christy Fillerup

Summer Family History Conference

2011-06-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

The first Annual UGA Summer Family History Conference will be held on August 19-20, 2011 at the Larry H. Miller Campus of the Salt Lake Community College.

View Larger Map

The two-day conference features over 140 classes in 13 tracks for a maximum experience for everyone from a beginning genealogist to a seasoned professional.

Chair of the Conference is Kathy Palmer, UGA Board Member and chair of several former South Davis Family History Center Fairs. Now in an expanded format and sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Association, the Conference is expected to attract 1000+ participants.

Registration is now open at a very reasonable $20.00 for the entire conference ($15.00 for current UGA members) and there is also an option to either join or extend your UGA membership at a 40% reduced rate of $25.00 for one year.

Don't miss this fabulous opportunity!!

Visit the Registration page for more information on classes and to register.

June Virtual Chapter Meeting--Finding Your Scottish Ancestry

2011-06-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Finding Your Scottish Ancestry

Brief Description:
Scotland has great resources available for helping you find your Scottish ancestors! Learn about Scotland gazetteers, Civil Registration, Church, Census, Probate records and more.

Raymon Naisbitt grew up in a family history minded home and spent much time in his youth roaming cemeteries and learning about his ancestors. He graduated from the University of Utah with a BA degree in Political Science and has minors in History and International Studies. He has been working with FamilySearch for ten years and is currently part of the British Isles research team in the Family History Library.

We have decided to open a few more sessions of the virtual chapter to the general public so you won't have to use your UGA membership log in yet. You can access the meeting at http://ugagenealogy.adobeconnect.com/vc_june_2011/

Echo Canyon Tour

2011-06-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 18, 2011 @ 7:30AM
(Registration deadline extended to Midnight, June 5, 2011.
Lunch can be purchased with tour ticket)

The Mormon Trails Chapter of the Utah Genealogical Association is thrilled to offer a memorable trek back into history and to tour and experience the beauty of majestic Echo Canyon.

John Eldredge will be the guide for this tour. Mr. Eldredge has written the book, “The Illustrated Emigrant’s Guide,” a booklet written for the 2005 Oregon California Trails Association Convention. You will find Eldredge’s historical knowledge remarkable and appreciate his ability to tell about the artefacts among the ledges and emigrant trail.

View the video preview and register at:
http://ugagenealogy.org by midnight, June 5, 2011

To join UGA visit our website. Membership is just $35.00 per year. Members will also have access to all archived virtual chapter meeting presentations, UGA Genealogy Teaching and Training videos, discounts for registration to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, a free subscription to our quarterly journal Crossroads, and more.

Free Webinar: How Mature Are You Genealogically?

2011-05-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Utah Genealogical Association
VIRTUAL CHAPTER
presents

How Mature Are You Genealogically?
by
Robert Raymond Deputy to FamilySearch CGO David Rencher

Join us and learn an easy system to rate your own genealogical skill level and identify your strengths and weaknesses. You will learn a simple framework for improvement using Genealogical Maturity Levels. After attending this presentation you will have the knowledge you need to become a better genealogist.

May 19, 2011, 7:00 pm MT @
http://ugagenealogy.na5.acrobat.com/vc_may_2011

The UGA Virtual Chapter meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month. Through May these meetings are free to both members and non-members of UGA. They include both video and audio, and can be accessed anywhere there is internet access. Please join us by visiting the URL above. Email suzannecurley@gmail.com with questions.

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2012 Info

2011-04-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

As you may or may not know, the UGA website is getting a brand-new look. It's going to be great and will be unveiled in the next month or so. But in the mean time you man be looking for information on our upcoming Salt Lake Institute. The 2012 Institute will run January 23-27, 2012 with a Sunday orientation social on the 22nd. We're later this year so you can attend both SLIG and RootsTech (Feb. 2-4, 2012) in one trip. There are a few days in between, and we're working on putting together some great genealogical and recreational opportunities during that time--stay tuned!

Registration will open June 4, 2011 at 9:00 am MT, and will be accessible through our website www.ugagenealogy.org. We will not be staggering registration times. The early-bird tuition is $350 for UGA members and $400 for non-members; UGA membership is $35/year. We're still working out if the new system will allow registrants to purchase their membership and get the discounted rate in the same transaction. I'll let you know as soon as I know--but it couldn't hurt to purchase the UGA membership a few days ahead of time just in case (plus you'll be early enough to get the June issue of Crossroads).

We are offering twelve great courses this year, coordinated by some of the best in the field. Some are past favorites, while some are brand new this year!

Course 1: American Research and Records: Focus on Families with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA
Course 2: Advanced New England Research (in conjunction with NEHGS) with D. Joshua Taylor
Course 3: Welsh Research with Darris Williams, AG
Course 4: Swedish Research with Geoffrey Morris, AG
Course 5: Midwest U.S. Research with Kory Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA
Course 6: Genealogy Software and Research Tools with George Morgan
Course 7: Principles of Effective Genealogy Librarianship with Drew Smith, MLS
Course 8: Beyond the Library: Using Original Source Repositories with John Phillip Colletta, Ph.D., FUGA
Course 9: Advanced Genealogical Methods with Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Course 10: Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum with Angela McGhie
Course 11: Advanced Research Tools: Land Records with Rick Sayre, CG and Pam Sayre, CG, CGL
Course 12: Problem Solving with Judith Hansen, MLS, AG

All courses can hold up to 30 registrants with the exception of Problem Solving, which is not restricted, and the Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum which is limited to 25 due to the heavy discussion element. A brochure with more detailed information on these tracks, including the individual classes, will be placed online in the next few weeks--I'll let you know when it's available. Several courses filled quickly last year and I expect many of them will this year as well.

Openings Available

2011-04-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Utah Genealogical Association is please to extend an invitation to anyone who is interested. Two of our committees have immediate needs: Publicity and Crossroads.

Publicity

Our publicity committee has been on fire this year, and we're hoping to continue that trend. UGA has many wonderful projects coming online this year and we want to share them with the community. We need enthusiastic committee members to help us get the word out. The publicity committee is meeting tomorrow, April 13, at 7:00 p.m., at the FamilySearch Library in Riverton. If you are interested please join us! Please email christy.fillerup@gmail.com if you would like to attend virtually.

Crossroads

You may already be aware that UGA publishes a quarterly journal, Crossroads. We are in need of several talented writer/editors to help us keep this great publication at its current level, and to take it to the next level! Email info@infouga.org to get involved.

Additional Volunteer Opportunities

We have many other opportunities for volunteering as well:

Utah research pages on the FamilySearch wiki
Pioneer Project
First Families of Utah
Indexing
Education Committee
Virtual Chapter
Website Committee
Finance/Audit Committee
Annual Conference
SLIG
Chapter Leadership

Email info@infouga.org for more info!!

Devin Ashby presents "The Google Genealogist"

2011-04-12T10:04:00.001-07:00

April's Virtual Chapter Meeting!!

Date: April 21.7:00pm MDT (Your time zone)

Address to access the chapter meeting:
http://ugagenealogy.na5.acrobat.com/vc_april_2011

Title of Presentation: The Google Genealogist

Synopsis: What are the latest tools from Google and how can I use them in my research? Come learn about products like Picasa, Alerts, Sites, Books, Video, Maps and much more that can help you save time and money as you utilize the internet to help you get the job done.

Virtual Chapter News

2011-03-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

We are super excited to get going with our Virtual Chapter and we have some great speakers lined up already for this year. The first chapter meeting will be on March 31st at 7pm MDT (Find out what time it will be in your time zone). And for the rest of 2011 the meetings will be held on the third Thursday of each month at 7pm Mountain Time (Your time zone). Recordings will be available after the meeting on the website. For these first two meetings, the public is invited. After our new website is ready, you will need to be a member of UGA to be able to access the meetings.

Date: March 31, 2011 7:00pm MDT (Your time zone)

Address to access the chapter meeting: http://ugagenealogy.na5.acrobat.com/vc_march_2011

Title of Presentation:"Clue to Clue: Tracking a Family Across Time and Miles"

Synopsis: Moving from one piece of information to the next to reconstruct the life of an ancestral family. Use of census, probate, property, and personal records, among others are explained.

Bio: Jean Wilcox Hibben, PhD, CG, has a doctorate (folklore) and masters degree (speech communication). She has been doing genealogy research for over 30 years; serves as the staff trainer for the Corona, California Family History Center; volunteers at the National Archives, Riverside; and holds the following offices: President, Corona Genealogical Society; President, Southern Calif. Chapter of the PG; and secretary, Genealogical Speakers Guild. Jean is a staff writer for the on-line magazine, /GenWeekly/, and contributing author for other publications in the field. She blogs about music and ancestry and can be reached through her website. CG and Certified Genealogist are Service Marks of the Board for certification of Genealogists used under license after periodic evaluations by the Board; the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.

Jean's handout for this lecture is available at our Virtual Chapter webpage.

Date: April 21.7:00pm MDT (Your time zone)

Address to access the chapter meeting:
http://ugagenealogy.na5.acrobat.com/vc_april_2011

Title of Presentation: The Google Genealogist

Bio: Devin Ashby is a Project Coordinator for FamilySearch, the largest genealogical organization in the world. Devin has been involved in family history for years. In 2004 he received Bachelor degrees in History and Spanish, and the following year earned a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.

Thank you to Suzanne Curley our board member over the Virtual Chapter for all of her hard work in organizing the chapter and watching over these beginning stages. We are looking forward to having you all be a part of this wonderful program.

Utah Collection on FamilySearch Community Trees

2011-02-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

We are always on the look-out for new sources of information for Utah researchers, so thanks to Luana Darby for sharing the following blog post: https://blog.familysearch.org/node/991.

According to this post, "The Early Utah Community Trees contains 1.7 million individuals and 568,000 marriages that are all lineage-linked." Many sources were used including vital records, census records, and cemetery records. The full list is included in the post referenced above. Remember that information is only as good as the source it came from.

We would like to encourage our members to take a look and submit your comments. By working together we can help FamilySearch create a truly comprehensive Utah Community Tree.

Thanks!
~Christy

South Valley Chapter Kickoff with Barry Ewell

2011-02-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Riverton Family History Library
Zion Room C
March 10, 2011
7:00 pm
No Charge!!

Please join us for our South Valley Chapter Kickoff. We have invited Barry Ewell to present "Answers to 20 Questions All Genealogists Ask." Whether you are a beginner or a 40-year veteran in family history, learn the answers to the top 20 questions genealogists ask about genealogy and what that means to you.

Barry J. Ewell is the founder of MyGenShare.com, an online knowledge base website for individuals interested in learning, sharing, contemplating, and discovering family history. Resources include over one-million individual articles, tutorials, maps, videos, podcasts, slideshows, images and an extensive link directory. He is a writer and researcher with extensive genealogical experience in internet and field research, digital and software resources and mentoring genealogists. Research interests include Eastern U.S., United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Germany, and Russia.

Join us for an evening with Leslie Albrecht Huber

2011-02-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 4, 2011
7:00 pm
Bountiful Arts Center
745 South Main
Bountiful, Utah
No Charge!

UGA is very excited to invite you to our very first South Davis chapter event--an evening with Leslie Albrecht Huber. Leslie is presenting "The Journey Takers: An Inside Look at the Immigration Experience." Did you ever wonder what it was like for your Western European ancestors to leave their homes behind to start new lives here in Utah? Leslie Albrecht Huber will explore their experiences in her lecture, The Journey Takers: An Inside Look at the Immigration Experience. Come explore these immigrants' stories, the historical context of their lives, and learn some sources and research methods that can help you uncover the stories of your own immigrant ancestors. The lecture is based on Huber's newly released book, The Journey Takers.

Leslie Albrecht Huber is a freelance writer and speaker. Her first book, The Journey Takers, was published in the summer of 2010. Leslie has spoken about her book and about tracing immigrant ancestors on Good Morning America, National Public Radio, and at libraries, museums, and conferences across the country. She has published over 100 articles in a variety of publications including The History Channel Magazine, The Journal of Mormon History, Family Chronicle, History Magazine, Ancestry Magazine, Family Tree Magazine, and others. For more information, visit www.thejourneytakers.com.

Please contact us at info@infouga.org with questions

2011-02-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

We've got a big announcement!

After much deliberation, the Utah Genealogical Association has made arrangements for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) to adjoin RootsTech next year. The new dates for SLIG 2012 are January 23-27, 2012; the conference will again be held at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City.

Though traditionally SLIG has been held during the second week of January, we felt that changing the date to the end of January would allow attendees two full weeks of genealogical education. It is hoped that this will be especially beneficial to instructors who will be attending both SLIG and RootsTech.

"It just made sense for us to connect ourselves to RoosTech in this way," said Adele Marcum, Director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. "We hope this union of scheduling will offer genealogists the best educational experience: first at Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and then at RootsTech."

Although not affiliated with RootsTech or any of its sponsoring organizations, the Utah Genealogical Association sees the importance of collaborating with RootsTech to provide varied and valuable educational opportunities to genealogists.

"We applaud what RootsTech has done in their inaugural year; we want to share what they've done with our attendees at SLIG--and now that the schedules for SLIG and RootsTech align, we can begin discussions with RootsTech to determine how our two conferences can work together to provide greater value to attendees. Working together, I think we will see some magnificent synergy," said Marcum.

The courses for the 2012 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy include:

American Research and Records: Focus on Families with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA
Welsh Research with Darris Williams, AG
Scandinavian Research with Geoffrey Morris, AG
Genealogy Software and Research Tools with George Morgan
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records with Rick Sayre, CG and Pam Sayre, CG, CGL
Principles of Effective Genealogy Librarianship with Drew Smith, MLS
Beyond the Library: Using Original Source Repositories with John Philip Colletta, Ph.D, FUGA
Advanced Methodology with Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis Practicum with Thomas W. Jones and others
NEHGS: Advanced New England Research with D. Joshua Taylor
Midwest Research with Kory L. Meyerink, AG, MLS, FUGA
Problem Solving with Judith Hansen, AG, MLS

Registration for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2012 opens June 4, 2011 at www.ugagenealogy.org.

Utah State Constitution Now Digitally Available

2011-01-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Gina Strack for blogging about the digitization of the Utah State Constitution. I first received the news via her blog post at http://archivesresearch.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/utah-state-constitution-online/. I highly recommend this blog, frequently updated by the Utah State Archives, for important information on researching in Utah.

I just finished the Advanced Methodology track at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. We were reminded that for accurate information we MUST go back to the original laws, statutes, and constitutions. Only there can we fully understand the laws and how they impacted the lives of our ancestors. Laws of majority, guardianship, dower rights, and more will affect the accuracy of our research.

Thank you, Utah State Archives, for making this a whole lot easier! Access the digital constitution here: http://archives.utah.gov/digital/3214.htm.

Happy Researching!
~Christy

Accepting SLIG Course Proposals.

2011-01-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Director and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Advisory Committee are now accepting proposals for course coordinators for future SLIG courses.

The SLIG Advisory Committee will meet this year:
10am Tuesday February 1st 2011
10am Tuesday May 3rd 2011
10am Tuesday August 2nd 2011
10am Tuesday November 1st 2011
The deadlines for submitting proposals to be considered at each meeting are 5 days before the meeting.

The SLIG Advisory Committee can accept proposals anytime, but of course we want to solidify course schedules as early as possible so that students can plan ahead and we can publicize well and fill the courses with students. After the SLIGAC makes their recommendations, the final decision authority rests with the SLIG director and the UGA board as per UGA's policies and procedures. This vetting process, as has been set up in the UGA Policies and Procedures manual, will ensure that only the best courses are offered at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

Please contact UGA President Janet Hovorka at janet(at)generationmaps.com or SLIG director Adele Marcum at marcum(at)familysearch.org for further information and a copy of the suggested proposal outline.

SLIG from behind the scenes

2011-01-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

by Janet Hovorka

This last week I got to see the most amazing conference, from the most amazing perspective. The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy is an icon in genealogy conferences for a reason. It isn't a conference--where you will take a class on this and a class on that, but it is an institute--a place where you can go and take 20 course hours in a specific topic from the rock stars of genealogists. Literal rock stars. These people are incredibly knowledgable. And then you go over to the library and work with the instructors and the other students in your classes on finding and analyzing the information on your lines.

Being the new Utah Genealogical Association president, I was thrown into administrating SLIG with a new director--the wonderful Adele Marcum--and many members of the new committee who had never worked at Institute (thanks so much Jill Woodbury, Sherry Stevens, Kerry Farnsworth, you guys are not only brave but incredibly competent). And thanks be to Luana Darby, the infallible past UGA president who has kept the ship afloat through some hard years and was there for us with every question we had. I'm so glad she hasn't abandoned ship yet and is still here to help us keep things straight.

As is typical with genealogists, the attendees at SLIG were sincere, sweet people. I can't count how many times we heard, "no problem." We had people pitch in and help with handing out lunches, stapling and handing out syllabus materials, taking tickets and etc. And that doesn't even begin to talk about how they helped each other and the great companionship that goes on at Institute. That is why my husband and I choose to work in this industry. I love the people I get to work with. Genealogists as a whole are good, kind people.

And the coordinators and instructors were patient and generous with a new untested team. These instructors are incredibly knowledgeable--the rock stars of genealogy in the US. I loved the level of conversation all week, and thoroughly enjoyed the classes I got to sit in on. But they are knowledgeable AND generous. I didn't know until this week how truly amazing they are all the way around. They take a personal interest in each of their students and do one on one consultations all week in small and large blocks of time. I was so honored to be able to work with them this week. They all worked diligently with me to put together a 3 year plan for SLIG that will put the conference on a stronger footing. And one of the highlights of the week for me was to be able to present Tom Jones with the UGA Silver Tray award for publishing, Wilma Adkins with the 2010 Award of Merit and to present Paula Stuart Warren as a Fellow of UGA. They are, each of them, both scholarly and magnanimous. They are rock stars who are somehow able to make you feel important too.

It was so fun to be so immersed in the sociability of Family History last week. That is one of the reasons an organization like UGA is so important. You see that in the Chapter meetings, you see that in the committees, and you see that in the conferences. I know many of us came away last week with life-long friends. The level of conversation was so invigorating and energizing. It was great to be able to talk to people who speak my language. Coming back to my regular life, where everyone thinks I'm mildly crazy, it was nice to know there are people out there like me. And it was so great to party with them for a week. Can't wait until next year.

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy--Future Classes

2011-01-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

As is tradition, the future classes for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy were announced last Friday night at the SLIG closing banquet. However, in a break with tradition, classes were announced not only for the 2012 year, but also for 2013 and 2014. The SLIG team decided to do this so that:

We could get a better jump on publicity,
Students could plan for future courses,
Potential instructors would know where to contact future course coordinators,
The SLIG advisory committee would have the option of considering proposals for future courses with the time to go through a thorough vetting process.

So, we are very excited to announce the proposed courses for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2012:

American Research and Records: Focus on Families with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA
Welsh Research with Darris Williams, AG
Scandinavian Research with Geoffrey Morris, AG
Genealogy Software and Research Tools with George Morgan
Advanced Research Tools: Land Records with Rick Sayre, CG and Pam Sayre CG, CGL
Principles of Effective Genealogy Librarianship with Drew Smith MLS
Beyond the Library: Using Original Source Repositories with John Philip Colletta Ph.D., FUGA
Advanced Methodology with Thomas Jones Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA
NEHGS: Advanced New England Research with D. Joshua Taylor
and Problem Solving with Judith Hansen, AG, MLS

And we are also very excited to announce the proposed courses for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2013:

American Research and Records: Focus on Localities with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA
English Research
German Research
A Genealogist's Guide to the Internet Galaxy with Thomas MacEntee
Researching in Washington DC Without Leaving Home with Rick Sayre, CG and Pam Sayre CG, CGL
Advanced Methodology with Thomas Jones Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA
Hanging out a Shingle: Genealogy Marketing and Business Practices with Crista Cowan
Producing a Quality Family Narrative with John Philip Colletta Ph.D., FUGA
NEHGS: TBD with D. Joshua Taylor
and Problem Solving with Judith Hansen, AG, MLS

And likewise, these courses are planned for Institute 2014:

American Research and Records: Focus on Families with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FUGA
African American Research
Advanced Methodology with Thomas Jones Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA
Producing a Quality Family Narrative with John Philip Colletta Ph.D., FUGA
and Problem Solving with Judith Hansen, AG, MLS

Watch here for any changes or additions to the courses. Registration for 2012 courses will open on the ugagenealogy.org website on June 4th 2011.

UGA announces the 2010 Award of Merit

2011-01-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

The UGA board of directors was very pleased last Friday Evening to award Wilma Adkins, our tireless UGA treasurer the 2010 Award of Merit. We had to surprise her with the award or she never would have let us give it to her.

As Luana Darby, UGA President 2010 stated, "Wilma is the voice of reason on the UGA board." She has worked hard to keep the finances straight through good years and bad, and has been the one to keep us on the straight and narrow. While she doesn't have a vote on the board, her comments are often known to swing the vote in the right direction.

Thank you so much Wilma for all of your efforts to keep UGA vibrant and viable. We really appreciate you.

The UGA Board of Directors.

UGA Names 2010 Fellow (FUGA)

2011-01-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

Paula Stuart-Warren, a talented and engaging teacher as well as meticulous researcher has been awarded the UGA Fellow award.

Fellows are awarded "in recognition of living individuals whose distinguished contributions and on-going commitment to the field of genealogy are of national or international scope. This may be evidenced by any combination of publications, teaching and speaking, or leadership of major genealogical organizations over a significant period of time." Isn't this a perfect description of Paula?

We asked some of her colleagues to share their thoughts and here is what they shared:

D. Joshua Taylor wrote, "Paula Stuart-Warren's personal and upbeat personality has touched countless genealogists--and future genealogists. Her work will continue to influence the field for years to come."

Kory Meyerink wrote, "Paula Stuart-Warren has been with SLIG since the 2nd or 3rd year. She is a great teacher, writer and researcher. She is a long time volunteer for FGS and has truly made an impact on the genealogical community nationwide."

Paula has been tireless in mentoring intermediate genealogists at SLIG. She authored Your Guide to the Family History Library and the Minnesota Genealogical Reference Guide, as well as numerous other articles. She is a prolific lecturer and a dedicated teacher.

Thank you, Paula, for your tireless efforts to mentor genealogical researchers. We love and appreciate you!

UGA Board of Directors

UGA Names 2010 Silver Tray Awardee

2011-01-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

UGA's Silver Tray award is given "for Scholarly Contributions to the Field of Genealogy. Since 1988 it has traditionally been given for publications efforts." In 2010 we recognized Thomas W. Jones for his efforts in writing and publishing scholarly articles and most especially for editing the NGSQ and allowing the rest of us to learn from the excellent research of top-tier researchers.

Friends and colleagues agree with UGA President Janet Hovorka when she said he is a gentleman and a scholar:

"I would say what a pleasure it is to work with Tom. I've had many opportunities to work with him on various projects and always appreciate and enjoy the experience. Though we're not on the same "genealogical plane" he always makes me feel as though we are. His generous spirit is only one of the assets that make him a leader in our profession, and a friend." --Claire Bettag

Pam Sayre writes, "Tom Jones is the consumate professional, but even more important, he is a good man. He supports others' work, reaching down to pull "newbies" up through education and mentoring. He never has a bad word to say about anyone, and he donates countless hours of time for every paid hour of work he performs in the field of genealogy."

And Rick Sayre writes, "Dedication and professionalism define Tom. He has advanced the study of family history through his innovative teaching and writing. He is the best of the best!"

Thank you, Tom. We so appreciate your contributions to the field of genealogy.

UGA Board of Directors

Friday at SLIG: Our revels now are ended -- or just begun?

2011-01-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

If I had skipped the homework discussions, I would have missed the best part of Tom Jones's class on Advanced Methodology. More than anything else they gave me a new and different sense of what should be going on when you tackle a hard case -- or, in one of his favorite metaphors, how you try fitting the various pieces together and then try another way, and compare.

My own favorite metaphor is not as unfailingly cordial as his. Every now and then I felt like the winner of a Midwestern state-fair pie-eating contest who had dropped in on a high-level wine-and-cheese tasting session. Others were discussing the subtle relative flavors of two vintages of wine (and whatever it is that cheeses have), while I was asking, "How do you spell 'cheese' again?"

OK, it's not really that bad, but if you've read this far you know there is another realm of genealogy out there. For me, that realm is more easily discerned by trying to solve a hard case, and then discussing it with others who also tried exactly how you attack that case (which was how the "homework" was done). Reading hard cases in final form in the NGSQ or comparable publications is fine, but it doesn't change my naturally lazy disposition as much as that kind of discussion. Must be one of those learning style things they talk about.

As for the Friday banquet, suffice to say that I am not a banquet person. But the experience was totally redeemed by Debbie Mieszala's inspired storytelling. I won't give it away. Just take my word for it, if you have a choice about attending a banquet where she is the speaker, don't dither about it, just GO.

And now the week is over. What's up with that? How can the buzzing second floor of the Radisson revert to just another hotel corridor? How will I manage without being surrounded by enthusiastic genealogists? Will I remember to take off my name tag before the plane lands at Midway?

Or should I just go on wearing it until January 2012?

Thursday at SLIG: snow and the library

2011-01-13T21:20:00.000-08:00

Two blocks from SLIG HQ at the Radisson is the Family History Library, overshadowing our in-class and after-class thoughts. Almost everyone has research work to do at the library, either for themselves, or for paying clients, or both. Our time management revolves around its 8am opening and 9 pm closing (except for Monday, family night, when it closes at 5; and Sunday, when it closes, period). You can categorize SLIG people by the smallest increment of time they consider worth trekking up to the library for. (Half an hour, for me, at least in the mornings.) You can also categorize them by how close to the closing bell they pursue their researches. (Ten minutes for me.)

In Advanced Methodology, we have had two formidable overnight pieces of homework. Wednesday's involved analyzing evidence; Thursday's adds the element of researching as well as analyzing. I was displeased with myself for wrongly weighting evidence and reaching a probably wrong conclusion in the Wednesday exercise. And by 8 pm Thursday, my prospects for success in the Thursday homework were looking bleak. Having been indoors almost the entire past 24 hours, I threw on my coat and headed for the library. What a treat! A snowstorm had blown up and was busy blanketing the sidewalks.

The library didn't help my homework, but I did manage to find an interesting fact that promises more records on a client's problematic ancestor. The snow was still going as the last diehards stepped out into the night at 8:55 pm. I met the ever-cordial Leroy Atkins heading the other way under an umbrella.

I love IGHR at Samford, but you cannot take this kind of break from your studies in the Alabama heat. Back in the hotel room with my laptop and quasi-legible scribbled notes, I kept on like the storm and finally zeroed in on the strange but utterly convincing solution to our last homework puzzle. I'd love to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

And suddenly -- tomorrow will be the last day of this "time out of time." The closing banquet is tomorrow night, and I'm trying to figure out if it will finish soon enough to leave us a little library time afterwards.

Wednesday at SLIG: the pace picks up

2011-01-13T04:49:00.000-08:00

As the week goes on, there's more happening and less time for non-essentials like blogging and sleeping. And some of what's going on is, well, secret, like Tom Jones's mind-bending evidence-evaluation homework assignment. (Just don't sneak up behind me and say "Spotsylvania," OK?)

Even meals take on lives of their own. Two years ago on my first trip to Salt Lake City and SLIG, Leroy Atkins kindly guided me through the maze to the busy, inexpensive, and nourishing cafeteria in the basement of the Church Office Building. A group of us returned there today. On the way out we crowded into an elevator and kept on talking until somebody pointed out that no one had pushed the button to get back upstairs. (We weren't late to class, but it would have been difficult to formulate the excuse!) Supper was a gathering of ProGen Study Group and Transitional Genealogist Forum folks, accidentally coinciding with crowds who came downtown for the Utah Jazz game.

Institute-goers have a way of referring to courses by the name of the course coordinator, but some of the teaching load is carried by colleagues the coordinator brings in. I've heard Rick Sayre lecture before but I'm always surprised. I swear he doesn't talk fast, doesn't seem in a hurry, and yet all of a sudden I'm inundated with places to go and things to do and half a page behind in my note-taking or marking up the syllabus!

This day we had an unforgettable word tour of the back rooms of the world's largest map collection (Library of Congress). And his Allegheny County Fassbinder research saga makes me want to drop everything, leave my Indiana home, and spend a month camping in Pittsburgh, combining maps and city directories to put the question to my wife's grandmother's fantastically elusive ancestors there. He got the line of the day too: Maps are to genealogists as canvas is to artists, they're "something we paint our genealogy on."

Tuesday at SLIG: old things new

2011-01-12T05:34:00.000-08:00

I know it's a good genealogy day when I'm seeing supposedly familiar things in a new light:

* indirect evidence (we won't go there, but it kept me up late!),

* the value of fraud and failure (they generated records!),

* federal records (I appreciate being encouraged to take another run at these fantastically underutilized sources, and I'm sure I'll need more),

* how to augment a lecture with chewy treats, and

* my great-great grandfather (who was 25 years old in 1834, and evidently didn't care any more for Andrew Jackson than I do).

When you're picking an institute to attend, it's not hard to evaluate the faculty -- if nothing else, most people know them. It's harder to evaluate the students ahead of time, but it's important, if only because the greatest faculty in the world can only do so much with people who don't get it or aren't ready. SLIG is full of fellow students who do and who are. "So many people, so few meals."

Monday at SLIG: shifting gears

2011-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

(Thanks to Christy for the invitation to guest-blog here during this week of the 2011 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.)

I've found myself switching gears again on my second SLIG trip . . .

. . . from the wet snowy Midwest to crisp dry Utah (well, not always so crisp with the inversion);

. . . from smaller-scale cities to monumental Salt Lake City with its endless blocks, double-wide streets, and mountains!;

. . . from the Allen County Public Library to the Family History Library (at least one and maybe two orders of magnitude!);

. . . and now on the first day, from intense research (learning how NOT to use a digital camera on microfilm) to intense instruction (learning how much I do NOT understand evidence) to intense conversation with friends about both of the above, as well as the state of the profession. Two years ago we were big-eyed newbies, now we all have responsibilities beyond sitting in class. Two of my classmates from the 2009 SLIG have joined the august ranks of the evening lecturers.

I'm taking Tom Jones's Course 9, "Advanced Methodology," so naturally I thought he had the best line of the day:

"Evidence does not exist in the absence of a research question."

Maybe you had to be there. I'm glad I am.

-- Harold Henderson
librarytraveler@gmail.com
midwestroots.net

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Meet and Greet

2011-01-09T22:44:00.000-08:00

What an exciting night! The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy kicked off with registration and a general meet-and-greet tonight. Everyone received their syllabus, their name tags, and their schedules for the week.

We start off tomorrow bright and early with a networking breakfast and then straight into class. Some of the lectures students will be attending in the various tracks tomorrow include:

Apps for Genealogists: Mobile Computing with Gena Philibert Ortega
Yes, You Can! Making a Living in Genealogy with Kory Meyerink
Turning Biographical Facts Into Real Life Events: How to Build Historical Context with John Colletta
Sources for New England Research with Michael J. Leclerc
Sources for New York Research with Christopher C. Child
Irish Immigration--North American Sources and Methodology with David Ouimette
Irish Emigration--Irish Sources and Methodology with David E. Rencher
Delving into County Courthouse and Town Hall Records with Paula Stuart-Warren
Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses; Planning an Exhaustive Search with Tom Jones

Is your mouth watering? I know mine is. We'll keep you updated throughout the week.

New UGA Executive Board

2011-01-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

We are also happy to announce that the UGA Board of Directors has elected a new Executive Committee for 2011. They are:

President--Janet Hovorka
1st Vice-President--Christy Fillerup
2nd Vice-President--Sue Maxwell

We are excited to serve UGA in 2011 and we are excited to work with all of you. We are passionate about UGA and believe that it can make a difference in the lives of local and national genealogists. Please let us know how we can make UGA a more useful part of your genealogical life.

Welcome New UGA Board Members

2011-01-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Each year UGA loses three board members and welcomes three new to our ranks. We would like to give a heartfelt thanks to Maren Jeppsen, Howard Bybee, and Jeff Blaylock for their three years of service to UGA. Thank you!

We would also like to welcome our newest board members:

Adele Marcum
Adele Marcum loves being involved in genealogy. A desire to know more about her great aunt Adele led her to an introductory course in genealogy at Brigham Young University. When she found herself spending twice as much time researching her family than she was working on her other homework, Adele knew that something needed to change—and that change was her major! Currently, Adele works for FamilySearch, is serving as the Director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and dabbles in writing, blogging, and lecturing. Someday when life is less busy, she’d like to research her own family again.

Dan Lawyer
Dan has been working for FamilySearch as a senior product manager since 2004. He has been involved in many aspects of FamilySearch and is currently responsible for the FamilySearch.org Web site. Dan loves working on his own family history and is passionate about helping others see and share the richness in their ancestry.

Jason Harrison, CG
Jason Harrison, CG, is employed as a United States and Canada Research Consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. His specialties include New England, Mountain states, and LDS research. He received a bachelor’s degree in Family History from Brigham Young University and is a Certified Genealogist.

Patsy Hendrickson, AG
Patsy Hendrickson is an accredited researcher, AG, in LDS research. She has her B.A. in Spanish and English and has been employed at the Family History Library as a United States and Canada Research Consultant since 1985. Her research focus has been in the southern and mid-Atlantic states and Finland. She has taught genealogy at conferences, expos, and the Family History Library and has written research materials for a genealogical Web site.

Welcome!

SLIG--Professional Paths and Income in Genealogy

2011-01-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

The Professional Paths and Income in Genealogy course will be taught by Kory Meyerink, AG, MLS, FUGA along with: Natalie Cottrill; Leland K. Meitzler; Craig Scott, CG; Elissa Scalise Powell, CG; Paula Stuart-Warren, CG; and George Ott.

You've made the decision: a career in the growing field of genealogy research! Maybe you've had a few clients actually pay you to do research, but is that what you want to do for a living? There are many ways to generate a living wage in the broad field of genealogy. This course will explore the five dimensions of genealogical careers and outline the important principles that will insure your success. Over time, your career may well include aspects of all five dimensions. Current professionals will learn greater efficiencies and ways to make more money doing what they love.

Prerequisites for this course: Students should have intermediate to advanced genealogical skills and be anticipating or already involved in a genealogical career.

Yes You Can! Making a Living in Genealogy
Personal Preparation: Education, Training & Credentials
Selling Yourself: Building a Resume, Networking, Volunteering
Marketing and Advertising
Establishing Your Rates: Insuring a Profit
Making a Profit: The Finances of Small Businesses
Billable Time Management: Maximizing Your Income
Task Management: Projects, Operations and Support: Getting It All Done
On-site Research: Success and Profit on the Road
Excellent Reports: Efficient Reporting & Documentation Methods
Vendor and Client Relations: Managing Expectations
The Speaker's Circuit
Teaching Opportunities: Full or Part Time
Genealogical Librarianship
Employment in Archives & Historical Societies
Writing for Pay
Publishing: Pitfalls & Promises
Bookselling for Profit
Corporate Opportunities
A Foot in the Door & Climbing the Ladder: Growing and Succeeding as an Employee

This course still has a couple of openings. Go to www.ugagenealogy.org to register.

A Big Thank You

2011-01-03T14:37:00.001-08:00

It is with great gratitude that we note the end of Luana Darby’s 2 year service as president of the Utah Genealogical Association. Luana had been the source of wonderful renewal for the organization and an unending fount of energy and enthusiasm.

The list of accomplishments through Luana’s presidency is large. While she has been president, the organization has completed a new website and new social networking communication avenues including a stronger newsletter system, facebook, twitter, blog. Luana has personally contributed to better organization including a renewed committee structure and books for each committee chair to begin passing down the institutional knowledge that will sustain UGA in the future. And in this last year, she has presided over the purchase of a new virtual meeting system that will not only make the organization run more smoothly, but also has facilitated the development of our new Virtual Chapter, and the UGA Online Training and Tutorial Library. While Luana was in office, our journal Crossroads has been revamped and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has remained one of the premiere sources of genealogy training in the country. And probably the biggest accomplishment of her presidency was the immensely successful hosting of the National Genealogical Society Conference which showed off Utah’s assets to the genealogy community at large, strengthened UGA’s status in the genealogy community and set UGA on a strong footing for future development.

Very few will know of the tireless hours that Luana has put in making sure that everything in this volunteer organization runs smoothly. Even while keeping genealogy clients happy, and earning her Master’s degree in Library Science, and taking care of her family, she has dedicated untold amounts of time to the success of UGA. We will miss Luana’s dedication and her cheerful can-do attitude. Thank you Luana for everything you have done to strengthen the Utah Genealogical Association and Utah’s genealogical community.

SLIG--Producing a Quality Family Narrative

2010-12-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

We're ramping up for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy next week and want to tell you about the rest of our outstanding courses. Some of them still have last minute openings. Take a look at our website if you are interested.

Producing a Quality Family Narrative will be taught by John Philip Colletta, Ph.D., FUGA along with the help of: Ann Carter Fleming, CG, CGL; Kay Haviland Feilich, CG, CGL; and Barbara Renick.

For years you've been gathering information about your ancestors. You've made many fascinating discoveries. Now it's time to share them. But where do you start? Right here! Three dynamic instructors are eager to share their expertise and experience to help you write and publish your family history. Using lots of vivid examples and case studies, this course demonstrates how to: compile the material you've gathered; narrate the life stories of your ancestors; choose the most appropriate numbering system and observe proper documentation; edit and proofread your text; work with a publisher or self-publish, either in paper form or electronically; weave family lore and treasured heirlooms, as well as pertinent local history, into your prose; and incorporate maps, charts and illustrations. One in-class writing exercise (with follow-up critique sessions) helps you improve practical writing skills, share your special talents, and exchange ideas with the family instructors and fellow students. Your family instructors and fellow students. Your family history will never be "finished!" It's time to start sharing what you've discovered so far.

Preliminaries: What, Why, How and For Whom Are You Writing?
Turning Biographical Facts into Real Life Events: How to Build Historical Context
Principles of Good Writing and Good Storytelling
How to Use Artifacts in Genealogical Writing
In-class Writing Exercise
Grammar for Genealogists
Numbering Systems for Genealogies and Family Histories
Evaluating Evidence
Writing Your Genealogy or Family History Using a Word Processor (Book Format, Page Layout, Style, Text, Notes, Graphics, Charts, Illustrations, Etc.)
How to Create a Narrative of Biographical Facts
Electronic Venues for Publishing
Documentation: Important for Readers . . . and the Author, too!
Editing and Proofreading
Indexing
Publishing Your Genealogy or Family History (Fundamentals of Self-Publishing and Subsidized Publishing)
Using Newspapers and Cartographic Materials for Historical Context
In-class Critique and Discussion of Writing Exercise I
In-class Critique and Discussion of Writing Exercise II
Writing a Quality Family Narrative: The Pitfalls and Snares
The Larger Literary Possibilities of Family History

SLIG--Internet Tools and Techniques

2010-11-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Barbara Renick is returning as coordinator for the Computerized Genealogy track with a course entitled "Internet Tools and Techniques." Together with Gena Philibert Ortega, Pam Sayer CG, CGL, Rick Sayer CG, CGL, and D. Josh Taylor, she will be teaching:
Internet Tools for Genealogists (A Brief Overview)
Eleven Layers of Online Searches
Online: How You Get There Does Make a Difference
Techniques for Searching Books ONline
Techniques for Searching Library Catalogs Online
Tools for Finding Manuscript Sources
Tools for Finding Historical Newspapers
Techniques for Searching Newspapers Online
LAB: Web Surfing Made Easier
Apps for Genealogy (Mobile Computing)
Finding Images to Tell the Story
Hidden Genealogy Web Sites
Google Tools & Techniques for Genealogists
Cloud Computing for Genealogists
Social Networking Tools for Genealogists
Plug-ins, Toolbars & More: Customizing Your Internet Experience
The Web, the World, and YOU! (Advanced Internet Research)
Evaluating and Documenting Online SOurces
Google Earth & Maps (two hours long)
This course is designed to sharpen your Internet search techniques and help you better utilize a wide array of online tools. It includes a two hour lab on web surfing--one hour instruction and one hour practice time with the instructor.

You can still get into this course by registering at www.ugagenalogy.org

Give Thanks to Your Ancestors

2010-11-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

November is the time of year Americans give thanks. People give thanks for their family, jobs, health, this great country and even their ancestors.

Have you taken the time this month to think about the many things your ancestors did to make you who and where you are today? The sacrifice many of our ancestors made were incredibly difficult and extensive.

As I have researched my genealogy over the years I have found multiple ancestors that gave everything and sacrificed everything just so they could make their families lives better.

Many other bloggers out there have been expressing their thanks towards their ancestors as well. Check out these great blog posts by other genealogy bloggers!

The Thanksgiving Letter
by Thomas MacEntee

Turkey and Tradition
by Alisha Martin
Kentucky Historical Society

Thanksgiving Greeting: November 21, 1909
by TJL Genes

Thanksgiving 1942
by John Newmark

The First Thanksgiving was Held Where?
Dick Eastman

SLIG--Advanced Methodology

2010-11-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA will join us in presenting and Advanced Methodology course. Claire Bettag, CG, CGL; Rick Sayre, CG, CGL; and John Colletta, PhD., FUGA will join him as instructors.

Participants will develop genealogical research, analysis, correlation and compilation skills. Hands-on activities drawn from original sources will enhance this learning. Examples will be drawn from American States and colonies and European countries. Before the course begins, participants will complete two pre-course reading assignments. Three in course homework assignments will be optional.

Courses will include:

Developing an Evidence Orientation

Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses; Planning an Exhaustive Search

Transcribing, Abstracting, Extracting, Quoting, and Documenting Sources

Archival Research

Census, Census-Substitute, and Name-List Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Military and Pension Records Stategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Tax Roll Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Federal Research: Government Documents

Rural and Urban Map Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Locsl Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Probate Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Bringing Law to Bear on Complex Genealogical Problems

Special ProblemsI: Finding Immigrant and Migrant Origins

Special Problems II: Idnetifying Female Ancestors

Special Problems III: Identifying Landless, Enslaved, Peasant, and Other Impoverished Ancestors

Resolving Conflicting Evidence

Correlating Sources, Information, and Evidence to Solve Genealolgical Problems

Federal Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation

Writing Genealogy

Continued Advancement

Unfortunately this class is full for this year. Please contact the registrar at sligregistrar@infouga.org to be placed on a waiting list.

SLIG--Irish Family History Research

2010-11-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

The next course of study for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2011 that we are going to tell you about is Irish Family History Research. It is being Coordinated by David Ouimette, CG and taught with the help fo Evva Housley, AG, Dean J. Hunter AG, CG, Tome Hones Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, and David E. Rencher AG, CG, FUGA, FIGR. They are teaching:

Irish Immigration--North American Sources and Methodology
Irish Emigration - Irish Sources and Methodology
Scotch-Irish in America
Irish Surnames and Given Names
Irish Records and Resources on the Internet
Identifying Irish Localities
The Irish Collection in the Family History Library
Tools for Irish Reference
Catholic Church Records
Church of Ireland Records
Presbyterian Church Records
Irish Civil Registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths
Irish Census and Census Substitutes
Methodology for Interpreting and Evaluating Name Lists
Land Valuation Records
Estate, Land and Property Records
Irish Poor Law System
Methodology for Reconstructing Lineages from Irish Record Fragments
Irish Probate Records and Genealogical Collections
Preparing for a Family History Experience in Ireland

This course covers a variety of topics critical to Irish family history research. A number of classes explore the major record sources for Irish genealogy--civil registration, church, census and land valuation records--including strategies for getting the most out of these records. Other classes delve into lesser-known sources of Irish family history. Special emphasis is given to research strategies and methodologies for immigrant research, eighteenth-century Irish genealogy, and how to successfully reconstruct families with scanty evidence. This course takes advantage of the Salt Lake City venue by highlighting the Irish records and finding aids available at the Family History Library. The final class helps students prepare to take a genealogy trip to Ireland.

There are still a few openings for this class. You can register at www.ugagenealogy.org

SLIG--Research in Washington, D.C.: Without Leaving Home

2010-11-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

We are very excited to have Pamela Sayre, CG, CGL and Rick Sayre, CG, CGL teaching a new course at SLIG this year entitled "Research in Washinton, D.C.: Without Leaving Home" Claire Bettag, CG, CGL will be helping them teach.
This course presents some of the massive resources that are available in Washington, DC-area and other federal repositories and how to access many of them through the Family History Library (FHL), websites, and published sources. Records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Library of Congress (LC), the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library, and many other repositories will be explored. Students will learn to use finding aids, online catalogs, websites, interlibrary loan, and the holdings of the FHL to find, analyze, and understand federal records spanning the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries. Courses include:

Identifying and Using National Archives and Records Administration Finding Aids
Understanding the Resources of the Library of Congress
Finding Individuals in the American State Papers
Using the Serial Set in Genealogical Research
Finding Individuals in the Territorial Papers
Treasure in the Library of Congress Manuscript Collection
Remote Research in the Databases of the Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System
Mining Washington Map Repositories Remotely
National Archives Resources in the Family History Library
Federal Records in FamilySearch
Finding Records and Individuals Using the National Archives Website
Finding Individuals in Military Archives
Using Social Security Records
Using National Archives Regional and Affiliated Archives to Find Individuals
General Land Entry Papers: Federal Land Records at the National Archives
Bounty Land Applications: Federal Land Records at the National Archives
Chronicling America
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Structured Excerises in the Computer Labs (FHL) (2 Sessions - 1 hour each)

There are still a few spaces available in this class. You can register at www.ugagenealogy.org

SLIG--NEHGS part 1 New England

2010-11-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

The next course we are going to focus on is part one in what will be a three part series about New England taught in partnership with the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

This course is taught by D. Joshua Taylor with the help of Christoper C. Child and Michael Leclerc. They will be teaching:

Sources for New England Research
Sources for New York Research
State Census Records and Census Substitutes
Land Records for New England and New York
Probate Records for New England and New York
Church Records for New England and New York
Migrations of the 17th and 18th Century
Early Federal Migrations of 1780-1830
Exploring Migrations to Western Massachusetts and New York
Canadian Connections to New York and New England
Trial by Community: Colonial Legal Systems in New England and New York
NewEnglandAncestors.org Advanced Techniques
Three Case Studies
Consultations

Explore the resources available for researching families in New England and New York before 1850 with the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This course will include hands-on case studies, group discussions, individual one-on-one consultations and a series of lectures on records, migration patterns, understanding boundaries and other tools for researchers.

This class is currently filled but you can join the waiting list by emailing the SLIG registrar at sligregistrar@infouga.org

SLIG--American Records and Research: Focusing on Localities

2010-11-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

Are you signed up for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy yet? We're going to focus for the next couple of weeks on the fantastic opportunities available to you at the Institute.

The first course we are going to focus on is CG Paula Stuart-Warren's American Records and Research: focusing on Localities class. Her team of Karen Mauer Green, Michael J Leclerc, Kory Meyerink MLS, AG FUGA, D. Joshua Taylor, and Cath Madden Trindle will be teaching the following courses:

Intro & General Class Information:Strategies and Organizational Tips and Tools for Busy Researchers at the FHL and Elsewhere.
Delving into County Courthouse and Town Hall Records
Land Records: Digging Deeper Online and Off
Building a House History from a Variety of Records
Dissecting a Document: Getting from Point A to Point Z
Lawyers, Judges and Trials: Using the Law in Genealogy
Locality Resources: Using Maps, Gazetteers, Atlases and More
The WPA Era: What is Created for Genealogists
Records Related to Ancestral Arrivals in the United States
Greater Success through Source Citation
Vanity Sketches: Sources and Truths Behind Mugbook Entries
The U.S. National Archives: The Nation's Attic
Finding Ancestral Places of Origin in U.S. Records
Opportunity to have lunch together as a class with discussion
Family History Library Labs with Hands-on Help.

This intermediate level course covers 19th -21st century U.S. records and strategies with seventeen classroom hours that assist researchers in learning about and using varied sources and methods. Learn more about unusual records, count, state and federal records, manuscripts, finding aids, specialized indexes, case studies, and websites. Additionally, seven hours of one-on-one assistance and consultations at the Family History Library are provided by instructors.
This course helps you extend your research skills with suggested homework assignments to immediately apply the classroom information to research on your own families. Class work is in the morning on all five days, one afternoon and with hands-on library assistance on three afternoons. There is ample time for open research in the afternoon and evening or for SLIG evening classes.

You can still sign up for this course at www.ugagenealogy.org

Cedar City Chapter Visit.--Pictures

2010-11-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

I have a few more pictures of our new Cedar City Utah Chapter meeting last weekend for you.
We met Friday night at the Family History Center. We were so impressed with how well run the center is. Here at the meeting we have, left to right: Julia Corry, Chapter President, Catherine Sorensen FHC director, and Ruth Scovill.
Then Saturday morning we met at the Sherratt Library on the SUU campus for a tour of their Special Collections library.

Left to Right back: Catherine Sorensen, Sandie Nagy, LaKay Weber, Julia Crates, Julia Corry, Sary Bitsoie, Bottom Row, Christy Fillerup, Janet Hovorka, Pam Chatfield.

Janet Seegmiller took us on a tour of the beautiful Special Collections library. She is a wealth of knowledge about the area, having written the book A History of Iron County: Community Above Self, and having been an archivist here at the library for many years. We were so lucky to be able listen as she shared her knowledge about the area and about the library.

LaKay Weber is here with the picture of one of her ancestors that is on display in the library. She is the current curator for the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum in Cedar City, and was able to see the Iron Company Register that her mother had donated to special collections.

Janet introduced us to all the oral histories and other collections in the back room. We had a wonderful time. Thank you so much to Janet and to Julia and her chapter for hosting such a wonderful event. We look forward to many more in the future.

Two New Virtual Initiatives Launched for UGA

2010-11-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

The Utah Genealogical Association is pleased to announce the launch of two virtual education initiatives for genealogists of all kinds--the UGA Genealogy Training and Tutorial Library (UGaTT) and the UGA Virtual Chapter. An introductory overview of both virtual projects can be found at http://bit.ly/ckL4db. This video overview is a summary recording of Barry Ewell's presentation from the UGA membership meeting on October 19th. This recording covers the designs and plans for each project as well as the dates and stages of roll-out. The introductory video is a great way to understand the sweep of the plans and get excited about the progress that is coming as we take UGA into its 40th anniversary year.

First, we are pleased to present the first tutorials of the UGA Genealogy Training and Tutorial Library (UGaTT). The topics covered so far are:

Series: Top U.S. Research Records

Series Overview and Objectives for the Top Four U. S. Research Records-Episode 1
Introduction to the Top United States Records that Genealogists Use for Research-Episode 2

Series: Organization for Genealogists

Series Overview and Objectives for Organization for Genealogists-Episode 1
What Does Being Organized Mean to the Genealogist?-Episode 2

Series : Fives-step Genealogy Research Process

Series Overview and Objectives for the Five-step Genealogy Research Process-Episode 1
Five Easy Steps to Getting Started: Genealogy is a Repeatable Process-Episode 2
Step 1: Identify What You Know About Your Family-Episode 3
Step 2: Decide What You Want to Learn About Your Family-Episode 4
Step 3: Select Records to Search-Episode 5
Step 4: Obtain and Search the Record-Episode 6
Step 5: Evaluate and Use the Information-Episode 7

These first tutorials are the first three pieces of the "Bronze Level" of the program. As the program continues to roll-out there will be over 100 topics covered with a self-evaluation program in place to to test your comprehension and track your improvement. The UGaTT is arranged in three levels, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The first level allows the beginning genealogist to improve their skills and prepare for the more advanced Silver and Gold levels. Participants earn pins and certificates for program completion. Parts of the Bronze level will always be free to the general public, with the more advanced Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels available to UGA members as they are completed. Please fill out the 5 question survey at http://bit.ly/a7y2La to give us your feedback on this initial release.

Second, the first beta version of our Virtual Chapter has been released for your review at http://bit.ly/bhoiIa. The meeting is one hour long and includes an introduction and a presentation by Barry Ewell. The presentation is on "How to Effectively Conduct Genealogy Research on the Internet." We are collecting your comments and feedback in a short 6 question survey at http://bit.ly/aKH9aR. Please participate in the survey so that we can refine the program. A second beta will be released on November 23rd with Janet Hovorka presenting "Archiving Your Genealogy Work Using the Library of Alexandria Rule" These two beta videos will be released to the general public and regular live sessions of the virtual chapter will commence in January with access to all UGA members.

New Chapter--CEDAR CITY

2010-11-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Christy Fillerup, Sue Maxwell and I (Janet Hovorka) are having a wonderful time in Cedar city this weekend. We have been meeting with our newest UGA Chapter and our newfound fast friends. Julia Corry (President) and Pam Chatfield (secretary) arranged for us to come down and talk to them about UGA and get the communications set up between Salt Lake and their Cedar City Chapter. We met last night and discussed with them the new UGA initiatives that will be rolling out over the next year and what they want to do with their chapter. They got to be the first group to see the new UGA Training and Tutorial Videos and the beta video of our Virtual Chapter, and we were treated to a tour of the Southern Utah University Archives. They had a wonderful luncheon for us and we set them up with our publicity avenues and communications abilities.

They have been meeting for about a year now as friends and a genealogical support group and have now decided to become a UGA chapter. And we are of course thrilled to have them. Several of them are working to become accredited through ICAPGEN. They have also working with a local photographer to build a database of the tombstones and cemeteries throughout southern Utah, and are planning to have a Cedar City conference sometime in the future. We are excited to help them with those goals and further the genealogy education and networking opportunities in Cedar City. Watch the blog, or contact Pam Chatfield for more information about their activities.

More UGA Banquet Pictures

2010-10-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for a great time with good friends.
And thank you very much to Sue Maxwell's (our newest board member) husband Paul for the wonderful picture taking.

Michael Helmantoler, Mark Lowe, Debbie Gurtler, Russ Lynch, Colleen Lynch, Joan Healey

Howard Bybee, Adele Marcum

Jim Hasleton, Karen Christensen, Elaine Hasleton, Wilma Adkins

Jenille Ivory, Luana Darby, A.C. Ivory

Diana Olsen, Julie Haynie, Kathy Palmer

Terry and Hope , Pat Carpenter

Thomas MacEntee, Renee Zamora, Marlene Nielson, Vic Nielsen

Kimberly Powell and Thomas MacEntee

Deanna Ouimette, David Ouimette

Lisa Arnold, Kim Harrison

Jeff Baylock, Joan Healey, Maren Jeppsen

Report on the UGA Banquet at Gardiner Village

2010-10-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Luana Darby, our association president started the evening with an overview of how the society is doing and the status of all the committees and projects that UGA is working on.

Wilma Adkins, UGA treasurer, then presented the society with the annual financial report. Although we sustained a loss for 2009, due in part to several investments in future programs and in the NGS conferences last April, Wilma hinted that these investments were well worth it. Come out to the banquet next year to find out just how successful NGS was for UGA. Boy was it!

Then, in one of the highlights of the evening, Barry Ewell presented the plans for the Virtual Chapter and the Genealogy Training and Tutorial library that the education committee has been working on this year. Stay tuned for more information on the Virtual Chapter.

And for the main portion of the evening, we were delighted to be able to hear Mark Lowe speak about "Pitfalls, Pratfalls, and Loud Mouth Children" He talked about his childhood and how he gained his interest and love for genealogy. While traveling in the car with many other siblings, he was usually put on the floor in the front seat by his mother's legs. While traveling to the family reunions he would ask his father and mother about their lives growing up. Many times this led to great stories about other family members. Mark says he was such a curious young child, which led to many questions about aunts, uncles, grandparents and other family members.

He shared the importance of knowing your family history, even at a young age. Even though family reunion season is over, this winter is a great time to start planning your next family reunion. Reunions are some of the best places to learn more about your family and the traditions which have been passed down into your own families today.

Finally, the door prizes were passed out by our venerable team of Vanna Whites, Christy Fillerup, Janet Hovorka, Luana Darby and Adele Marcum.

Again a big thank you to our door prize contributors:

Genealogy Gems Podcast for a Premium Membership to the podcast
RootsMagic for a copy of Family Atlas, Personal Historian, RootsMagic and the book Getting the Most out of RootsMagic.
Legacy Family Tree for a copy of Legacy and the accompanying book.
Heritage Collector for a copy of the book and CD/DVD Create a Family History
Paul Larsen for a signed copy of Crash Course in Family History 4th ed.
Family History Expos for two copies of Christmas Memories: capture a memory storytelling workbook.
Generation Maps for two $50 gift certificates.
FamilySearch for two shirts and a leather portfolio and pen.

A great time was had by all. Watch the blog for more UGA events where you can come associate with people who understand your genealogy passion.

Committe Displays at Annual Banquet

2010-10-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

UGA is excited to be able to offer its members so many ways to get involved. Each committee was represented by a table-top display. Each committee is in place to provide a service to UGA's members. We are so grateful for the wonderful volunteers that make this happen. If you are interested in volunteering please send your interests to info@infouga.com and we'll make sure you get hooked up with the right people. Tuesday night included displays from . . .

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy - Every January the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) offers intermediate and advanced level courses to genealogists looking for an in-depth educational experience. Nationally known speakers, experts in their niches, fly to Salt Lake each January to teach and network with avid students. For more information visit our website at www.ugagenealogy.com. Remember--the early-bird discount ends October 30th!! First Families of Utah - For many years UGA has provided a place for descendents of early settlers to have their ancestors recognized. Those interested submit documentation of their ancestors arrival in the Salt Lake area, the documentation is reviewed, and a beautiful heirloom certificate is provided. See http://www.infouga.org/index.php?option=pioneers for more information.

Education - as Barry Ewell discussed at the event our education committee has been hard at work developing a non-credentialed, stepped, online learning application for our The first taste of what's coming will be online Tuesday, October 26th. Check it out and provide feedback through the provided links. We're here to give you what you need, so don't be shy!

Pioneer Projects - Marilyn Markham is heading a very ambitious project known as the Pioneer Project. We have been told that tens of thousands of pioneers who came into the Salt Lake area before the railroad cannot be accounted for in company rosters. Who are they? How did they get here? Help us find out! Chapters - one of the best things about belonging to a society is the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals. We have some great chapters already in place in Henefer and Ogden, and we're working diligently to begin more. The greatest challenge to starting a chapter is finding willing leadership. If you are interested in leading a chapter in your area please contact us today! Look for chapters to be starting in Downtown Salt Lake, South Valley, Cedar City, and Utah Valley.

Publicity - no matter how many great programs UGA has in place to educate members, they won't do anyone any good if we don't get the word out. Please help us by telling your friends about the wonderful benefits we offer.

Records Preservation and Access Committee - All across the country valuable records are being closed and/or destroyed. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) has asked each state to help monitor the situation in their state. This is an issue that challenges each and every one of us. If you hear of a records-related problem in Utah, please contact us. If you are willing to help us keep our records available on an ongoing basis please email Christy Fillerup at christy.fillerup@gmail.com.

Speakers Bureau - The Speakers Bureau is the brain-child of Kathy Palmer and is set to be a wonderful boon to our event-planning members as well as those who are interested in speaking. In the next few months look to our website for a listing of speakers available for local events. Planning a conference? Look no further than our complete listing of speakers and contact information.

Crossroads - UGA's quarterly journal, Crossroads, is over-hauling itself as well. We are working hard to provide more pertinent content, more advanced methodologies, and more timely news. If you are interested in writing or editing for our journal please contact Christy Fillerup at christy.fillerup@gmail.com.

How To--German

2010-10-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

The most important foreign language is German for Americans trying to find their roots, since about 25% have German ancestry. Actually English is a Germanic language meaning both languages share roots with many easily recognizable words that are called cognates, for example: Vater [father], Sohn [son], Onkel [uncle], März [March], Haus [house], and Land [country], etc. So with a little imagination most of us can read the pertinent information of names, places, dates and relationships. However, German writing [Gothic Script] is not the same! Go to www.wiki.familysearch.org to see the alphabet [same 26 letters] and common words with translations used in genealogical records. Also you can find a list of commonly used Latin words with their translations, which are often in Roman Catholic records. If you need help in deciphering any German record simple go to www.familysearch.org and on the bottom of the Homepage click on Contact Us to send your query to a German consultant, who can translate
the pertinent data [not every word] for you. Of course, you will need to e-mail them a scanned copy of the record. Another option is to post your query on www.forums.familysearch.org for others to assist you. Viel Glück! [Much Luck]

Jerry Molloy,
FHL, CSM, Int’l Ref

Genealogy Traning and Tutorial Library preview

2010-10-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

Next week, at the membership meeting, we are going to be showing off all the new initiatives and beloved programs that UGA is advancing at the present. There will be tables for the Publicity, First Family and Indexing, Education, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Chapters, Virtual Chapter, Crossroads, and Speaker's Bureau committees. Come see all the exciting goings on and get involved.

The Education Committee will be showing off their new Genealogy Training and Tutorial Library that is under development this year. By working through this virtual training program, you will be able to not only increase your genealogy knowledge, but also earn bronze, silver and gold level pins for participation. We'll be showing off the first modules at the dinner. You won't want to miss it.

Raffle Prizes for the Membership Meeting.

2010-10-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some great prizes are rolling in for our upcoming Membership meeting.

A big thank you to

Genealogy Gems Podcast for a Premium Membership to the podcast
RootsMagic for a copy of Family Atlas, Personal Historian, RootsMagic and the book Getting the Most out of RootsMagic.
Legacy Family Tree for a copy of Legacy and the accompanying book.
Heritage Collector for a copy of the book and CD/DVD Create a Family History
Paul Larsen for a signed copy of Crash Course in Family History 4th ed.
Family History Expos for two copies of Christmas Memories: capture a memory storytelling workbook.
Generation Maps for two $50 gift certificates.

The last day to buy tickets is this Friday. Only 4 more days left.

Speaker Announced for Membership Banquet

2010-09-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

UGA is excited to announce the speaker for their Annual Membership Meeting and Banquet:

Mark Lowe, speaking on

Pitfalls, Pratfalls and Loud-Mouthed Children

– A humorous look at genealogical groups and when we need those loud mouthed children

J. Mark Lowe,CG has been researching families for more than 40 years. He grew up in Tennessee with extensive family roots in Kentucky. He has traveled extensively in both states and enjoys sharing his love of genealogy and the joy of research with others including some historic reenacting.

As a researcher and lecturer, Lowe enjoys working with Genealogical groups and professional organizations. He was President of the of the Association of Professional Genealogists, former Vice President and Secretary of the Federation of Genealogical Societies,

Mark is Vice President of the Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society. In the process of teaching others, Mark builds his own skills and insight for research. His experience as a Classroom Teacher, Principal and Professional Researcher provides a different perspective for each research problem.

Mark lives in Robertson County, Tennessee which lies in Northern Middle Tennessee along the Kentucky border. With family history in both states, a knowledge of the interaction of citizens along borders helps Mark resolve difficult issues using often overlooked records. As a national and regional speaker, he has brought these areas of expertise along with his unique humor and southern style to many diverse audiences.

He is an instructor for the IGHR (Samford University), SLIG (UGA), and RIGSA and was awarded the Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award by APG in 2007.

More information can be found at http://www.kytnresearch.com/marklowe.htm

Tickets are available at http://www.ugagenealogy.org

Membership Meeting Planned

2010-09-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

The UGA General Membership Meeting and Annual Banquet has been set for Tuesday 19 October 2010 7:00 pm

The Gathering Place at Gardner Village
1100 West 7800 South, West Jordan, Utah

We are going to have a real party this year to celebrate the success of the wonderful NGS conference we were able to host this spring and to launch our 40th anniversary year. We will be launching our new Virtual Chapter and our new UGA Genealogy Training and Tutorial Library Program--two new initiatives that will be rocking the genealogy world in Utah and striking out new territories for other genealogy societies to follow. Likewise there will be displays on the developments with the First Families of Utah program, new publicity initiatives (including the new logo, social media outlets, t-shirts and jackets and etc...) and plans for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and our wonderful Crossroads Journal. And finally, watch here for the list of drawing prizes that will be handed out at the banquet. We are going to have a great time socializing and networking with old and new friends.

Gardiner Village is a wonderful historical site all decked out this time of year for Halloween. Come and see the delightful decorations and enjoy the delicious food. Menu choices include:

Gardner Chicken (Chicken breast topped with ham and Swiss cheese with mushroom sauce), Mixed Greens, Roasted Herb New Potatoes, Dessert Bar (choice of Death by Chocolate, Lemon Mousse or Carrot Cake), Apple Raspberry Juice
Pan Seared Salmon, Mixed Greens, Roasted Herb New Potatoes, Dessert Bar (choice of Death by Chocolate, Lemon Mousse or Carrot Cake), Apple Raspberry Juice
Vegetarian or Special Needs Meal (Gluten Free, etc.)Pasta Primavera, Mixed Greens, Roasted Herb New Potatoes, Dessert Bar (choice of Death by Chocolate, Lemon Mousse or Carrot Cake), Apple Raspberry Juice

Don't delay. Limited seating is available. Tickets are available at www.infouga.org

Utah Genealogical Association's New Look

2010-09-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

It seems like UGA has been doing a lot of "renovating" lately with our newsletter, Facebook, the addition of Twitter, and even our blog.

We have been working on getting more involved in the social media of things as well as keeping our members informed of up-coming events and new things with the association.

We would love to have you sign up for our new UGA Newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here.

Be sure to subscribe to our blog to always be informed of great news, articles, and more!